Finally, the third and final reason is that, in the arguments put forward by Mr Gollnisch, there is no indication whatsoever of Being unable to accept the consequences of his remarks, Mr Gollnisch claims to be a victim of petty political proceedings designed to remove him from the political scene.

However, the way the mandate has been used has also led, as we have all said, to abuses and abusive practices: abusive practices when it is used for petty crime, and here I am not talking about the myriad farcical instances of thefts of bicycles, piglets and the like, and rather more serious abusive practices when there are disproportionate detentions, when innocent people are jailed and when the right to appeal these decisions is abused.

I cannot, however, forbear to criticise the Council in strong terms for their petty-minded and obstructive approach to negotiation, particularly when set against what they have made known to the world.

Petty pedantic speculation or issues of national egoism, such as the issue of the President of the Central Bank, should not obscure the true context of Economic and Monetary Union, the common vision of European integration, which must not of course be a reason for excluding and marginalizing some countries.

It was clear from the start that a report emanating from the dubious Human Rights Council of the UN - and that, Mr Howitt, is what the leader of our group criticised, not the UN; I am afraid your rather petty party point was rather demeaning - would be a one-sided condemnation of Israel.

We are simply calling a political judgment that the rot in terms of mismanagement, irregularity, fraud and petty corruption will never stop if every Commissioner can constantly rely on the legal shield of collegiality and avoid personal responsibility.

This result not only respects the vote of 13 June but at the same time acknowledges the Portuguese Prime Minister’s balance – a President of the Commission who represents renewal and a new interpretation of how to run the Executive, increasingly detached from the petty affairs of individual countries and leaning increasingly towards creating a Europe that is allied to the United States but is also politically strong and a player on the international stage.